CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There are losses, and then there are totally embarrassing debacles that require an NFL franchise to rethink every single thing it is doing.

Sunday’s 38-0 thrashing at the hands of the previously winless Panthers has to qualify as the latter for the Giants, who stumbled out of Bank of America Stadium dazed, humiliated and staring at an 0-3 start to a season that already looks lost.

“Something’s definitely going to have to happen, because this is intolerable [in] every sense,” Giants safety Antrel Rolle said. “This is just bad all the way around. I don’t have any answers. We have to find our way.”

What was billed as the “Desperation Bowl” between two struggling teams that came in a combined 0-4 played out with only one showing any sense of urgency — and it wasn’t Tom Coughlin’s club.

So much for going all out in honor of their grieving head coach just days after the sudden death of Coughlin’s younger brother. Since improving to 6-2 with a win at Dallas last October, the Giants are 3-8 with two shutout losses.

Big Blue also dropped to 0-3 for the first time since 1996, when the Giants finished 6-10 in Dan Reeves’ last season.

“We never gave ourselves competitively a chance to be in the game,” a stunned Coughlin said. “ ‘Disappointing’ is not a strong enough word. I expected more. We built towards more, but it just was not the competitive game I thought it would be.”

Thanks in large part to an inept offensive line that inexplicably allowed seven sacks and at least 20 more hits on Eli Manning, Big Blue had its doors blown off so completely the final 13 games already look like one long evaluation period for the 2014 NFL Draft.

How bad was it? With 13 minutes left in the third quarter, the Panthers had more points (24) than the Giants had total yards (18).

“I want to sit up here and say that we’re better than the 0-3 team that we are, but the facts are the facts: We’re 0-3, and we’ve got a huge hill to climb,” defensive end Justin Tuck said.

With alleged franchise left tackle Will Beatty the primary culprit, the Giants’ line was completely overrun and allowed a 26th-ranked Carolina defense that began the day with four new starters to tie the franchise record with seven sacks of Eli Manning.

Beatty was called for a holding penalty that nullified a David Wilson touchdown run and looked helpless against the rush of Panthers end Greg Hardy, who had three sacks to go along with three tackles for lost yardage and three more hits on Manning.

With no time to throw and no one open enough to throw it to, Manning suffered though a miserable afternoon. He ended up completing 12-of-19 passes for 119 yards and an interception when he wasn’t being broken in half by the Panthers’ jailbreak pass rush or running for his life.

“Obviously, we’ve dug ourselves into a little bit of a hole,” Manning said. “Words aren’t going to fix anything. It’s about us having great practices and going out there and playing better on game day.”

Carolina and Cam Newton, meanwhile, were simply running wild against a Giants defense that still can’t rush the passer, still can’t cover anybody and still can’t stop the run.

The embattled Newton quieted his critics with a big day, completing 15- of-27 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns, including a gorgeous, 47-yard scoring strike to Ted Ginn less than two minutes into the fourth quarter that made it 38-0 and had the crowd streaming for the exits.

Led by DeAngelo Williams’ 120 yards, the Panthers also had their way on the ground and finished with 194 rushing yards and two touchdowns overall.

But the Giants’ defensive performance wasn’t nearly as horrifying as the play of their offense, which was shut out for the second time in six games dating to a 34-0 loss at the Falcons in Week 15 last season.

Not only did the Giants give up sacks on three of their first nine snaps, but Manning has to scramble and throw the ball away under pressure on two others plays in that stretch.

The loss ended a remarkable streak in which Coughlin’s teams had started 5-2 every year since he was hired in 2004. His woeful club looks like it will be fortunate to win five games total this season.

Demonstrable proof . . . "the game is no better with millionaires playing".

All competitive events are won or lost with what is between one's ears, not how much you pay them. Like many things in the real world, it should be purely merit pay. Unilateral guarantees make zero sense .

There was a time when football players played the game regardless of the weather conditions. There was no artificial turf, in fact, the stuff covering the field was called grass, uh well, when there was any. A lot of the players had a place in their locker where they stored their fake teeth before the game since most of them had a few missing. EVERYBODY had a crooked nose. Almost everybody had crooked fingers. The players were big and strong but they looked "normal", most, if not all, were under 265 lbs. Quarterbacks called their own plays, there was no such thing as an Offensive Coordinator. On the other side of the ball there was the Middle Linebacker. He called the defensive play from a handfull of them. Audibles were rare and it was even more rare that the ball was snapped on the last second of the play clock. Now this is the norm and it makes the game almost unwatchable. Most importantly, the color pink was reserved for the cheerleaders. Now we are subjected to a whole month of the prima donnas running around the field with pink accessories - pink shoe laces, pink sweat bands, pink towels, pink mouth guards. God save us.

@Trey Peters-Peters that's exactly right........I was a loyal season tix holder for over 30 years until the PSL's priced me out.no sorrys,no thank yous,no price breaks,just a new outlandish bill.the old stadium was just fine.these greedy you-know-whats can't lose enough for my liking. Wellington NEVER would have done this to his fans. ever since the Tisches got involved,this became a very greedy franchise. so,yes,enjoy the karma the karma,John,you're not your old man and never will be.

@accordn17@s k This will be the ONLY season you will see me wish that the Eagles get beaten twice by every team in the NFC East. I have wanted Clowney for 2 years now. However I do see you guys possibly getting a new coach if you don't win somewhere along the way. You aren't gonna have an easy time with the Chiefs this Sunday as well. Especially going to Arrowhead. I said it when the Eagles got rid of Reid. I said to my husband "You mark my words Andy Reid will have success in Kansas City and he will win a Super Bowl with them". I don't think it will be this year but I think he begin to have great success with this team and he will win the Big One finally. Again, someone from the Eagles goes somewhere else and has success.

before all you trolls jump ship remember that 8-8 will win nfc east this year..the giants have no running game...so teams are teeing of on offensive line...they have no running game cause the guy who they were relying on stinks (Wilson)....the one good thing about this is the trolls will all go back to routing for the jets

@Edd Meatball Well Edd I hate to say this and I can't believe I am going to say this but I think you are going to have to go through Dallas (my God that was painful to type that!) to get to 8-8 and I don't see that happening for you just like I don't see the Eagles (I have only been watching them for 45 years since I was 8 years old and went to games from '68-81) winning more than possibly another game then they have right now. I just think it is going to be rough going and the only thing NY & Philly are gonna be fighting for is the cellar of the NFC East.

I love reading the comments from NY Post readers. There is very little football analysis. It is all about trying to blame liberals. Doesn't matter the team...Yankess, Mets, Jets, Knicks...blame the liberals. LOL

One more lost and we can forget about playoff, get ready for a good first round pick and Bill Cowher as the new head coach. The Giants seem so out of their dept and the offensive line is so porous, they lack rigor and athleticism such they are not good enough to play in the pee wee leagues. Look how Denver made them look like amateurs.

@opaque/603c66ac-1948-11e3-a523-000bcdcb2996 Cowher is a smart man which is why he will not go into the cauldron known as the NY Press. All he has to do right now is sit there every Sunday and give his opinion on who is going to win or loose and why. The one thing you can't call Cowher is stupid.

What about the coaching? When they see the o-line struggle, they make no adjustments what so ever. Never exploiting defensive weaknesses. Very few quick slants and when they do it's on 3rd down and too short to pick up a first. Way too many downfield shots before they develope any rythym. It takes time to go down field and today there was no time at all. Hixon must have lectured the same 10 year old Gilbride playbook all week because the Panthers knew it better than the O-line. Never any quick snaps. Allows the defensed to make adjustments until the final tick of the play clock. Never utilizing the 2 min drill even when down by 24 . The ghost of Buddy should punch his lights out.

Forgot all of those come-from-behind wins, playoff road wins and Super Bowl wins? How many past Giants quarterbacks have two Super Bowl rings? No O line, no running game - sure, trade Manning. That will fix it.

Eli, this is payback for you backing that Democrat Politician in New Jersey. You are now officially a LOSER...because you perform like one. Your team is a loser and this season is history. You know it is. Do you remember or not that your family is Republican? Your days are numbered in the NFL. Ask your brother about some pizza joints you can buy with your earnings to date. Act now ....losers need to see where they are and head for the exits.

@Les Redmon Well Dems are definitely losers, but Eli's supporting one of them has nothing to do with the Giants losing. Their Offensive Line is decimated, Manning doesn't have time to throw, the defensive secondary stinks, and the coaches aren't making adjustments. Simple as that.